POLO, Marco (Polo Marco)

(1254-1324)
Born in a family of Venetian merchant Niccolo Polo. In 1260 Nicolo and Maffeo Polo, father and uncle of Marco, went to Beijing (Hanbalay, or tattoos), which Kublai Khan, grandson of Genghis Khan, made the capital of their possessions. Kublai Khan took with them a promise to return to China and bring with him some Christian monks. In 1271 the brothers went on a long journey to the east, taking with them Marco. The expedition reached Beijing in 1275 and was cordially received by Kublai. Marko was a studious young man and had a talent for learning languages. While his father and uncle were engaged in trade, he studied Mongolian. Kublai Khan, who usually come near to the court of talented foreigners who hired Mark to the civil service. Soon, Marco became a member of the Privy Council, and the emperor gave him a few assignments. One of them was to produce a report on the situation in Yunnan and Burma after the conquest of the last Mongols in 1287, another - in the purchase of a tooth of Buddha in Ceylon. Subsequently, Mark became prefect of Yangzhou.
During the 15 years of service, Mark has studied China, has collected a lot of information about India and Japan. In 1290 he asked to let him go home, but refused Kublai. Marco managed to escape from China only in 1292 when he was appointed to accompany Kokachin Mongol princess who went to Persia, where she was to marry the local viceroy of Argun, nephew of Kublai. Reaching Persia, Marco received the news of the death of Kublai Khan. It freed him from the obligation to return to China, and he went to Venice.

The following year, after returning to Venice Marco, once on board a Venetian merchant ship was captured by the Genoese in the eastern Mediterranean. From 1296 to 1299 was in prison in Genoa, where Marco Polo dictated the book (or Book of Wonders of the World) to a certain Rustichello of Pisa. The book contains descriptions of not only China and the mainland of Asia, but also the vast islands of the world - from Japan to Zanzibar.

In 1299 Marco was released. In the eyes of fellow citizens, he remained a misfit, he told me no one believed. Marco Polo died in Venice on Jan. 8, 1324.